WASHINGTON (March 15, 2005) – In a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives today, 82 farm and consumer groups urged support of House Joint Resolution 23, which rejects the Agriculture Department’s plan to reestablish live cattle and beef trade with countries that have documented cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

“National Farmers Union and others applaud the efforts of Representatives Herseth and Cubin for introducing this legislation on behalf of U.S. beef producers and consumers,” said NFU President Dave Frederickson. “Immediate passage of this resolution should be the House of Representative’s highest priority.”

The full text of the letter and groups follows:

United States House of RepresentativesWashington, D.C. 20515

Dear Representative:

We write today representing millions of Americans that do not support the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) plan to establish “minimal-risk regions” and permit the importation of commodities from countries with documented cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE); including resuming live cattle trade with Canada. We ask for your support and cosponsorship of House Joint Resolution 23, introduced by Representatives Herseth (D-SD) and Cubin (R-WY) to reject USDA’s current plan. It is vital this resolution be passed before USDA’s rule is implemented and we urge you to place consideration of the resolution at the top of the House of Representatives’ priority list.

Now is not the time to rush in reopening the border with Canada, particularly given their most recent announcements of BSE-positive cattle, discovered after the publication of USDA’s plan. United States must be absolutely sure that the proper steps are being taken to protect the public before the border to Canada is open to cattle and beef products. America produces the safest and most abundant food supply that our consumers have come to depend on. It is unwise to potentially jeopardize the consumer trust instilled in our food supply to prematurely opening our markets to BSE-positive countries.

The United States Senate passed a similar resolution rejecting USDA’s plans by a vote of 52-46. During debate in the Senate, many members remarked on the lack of compliance Canada has demonstrated regarding its ruminant feeding ban; the fact our largest beef export markets remain closed to U.S. beef; and finally, mandatory country-of-origin labeling is not in place. We fully concur with these concerns and strongly believe these issues need to be resolved prior to opening the border to Canada.

On behalf of American consumers and agricultural producers, we again urge you to support and cosponsor H.J. Resolution 23. Please contact Representative Herseth’s office at 5-2801 (Ryan Stroschein) or Representative Cubin’s office at 5-2311 (Alison McGuire) to cosponsor H.J. Resolution 23.